BTB TV heads to Providence, Rhode Island, for the close of New England’s cyclocross holy week, the Providence Cyclo-cross Festival. Providence has a rich history of cyclocross, having hosted a pair of US National Championships and some of the best racing the country has seen since 2005.
The American cyclocross community met in Providence with heavy hearts this weekend, having lost Amy Dombroski in a training accident earlier in the week. Those present in Providence made sure Amy was remembered with a silent memorial lap around the Roger Williams Park course.
The racing in Providence turned out to be as varied as ever, with triple points on the line in the USA Cycling Pro CX overall competition on Saturday. One of the strongest fields you’ll see in America toed the line on day one, with a laundry list of former and current national champions ready to fight it out. Making her first major start of the season was reigning US National Champion Katie Compton, who was out to prove that she had put a tough off season behind her.
On Sunday, the rains came, and while it didn’t turn the course into a complete mud bath, the variable weather was enough to shuffle the finishing order, and bring some new riders to the surface.
In between racing, BTB TV Presents chats with race director Richard Fries about the history of the race, and the event’s dedication to getting young people in Providence out on their bikes. We also talk to Linda Keough, the woman behind Re-tired Gear Bags, and we learn why Bob’s Red Mill p/b Seven Cycles mechanic Dr. Matt Roy was once mistaken for a homeless man.
